David Miller fired Gujarat Titans (GT) into the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 tournament as the tournament’s best team defeated Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets in qualifier one played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday night.
Jos Buttler top scored for the brilliant 89 but his knock was eclipsed by 68 not out from David Miller and 40 not out from Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya who led their side to a commanding victory in their first ever knockout match in the competition.
Jos Buttler return to form and made a superb 89 from only 56 balls with the help of 12 boundaries and two sixes whereas the others in Sanju Samson 47 and is Devdutt Padikkal contributing heavily as Rajasthan Royals scored 188/6 in 20 overs after they were invited to bat by Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya.
Buttler was belligerent in his innings on Tuesday night as he crossed the 700 run mark in the competition and continued to dump the orange cap for having scored most runs in the tournament. The English wicket-keeper batsman was well supported by his Indian counterpart but Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson, who clobbered three sixes and five boundaries to make 47 runs from only 26 balls.
Rajasthan Royals opening batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal had an off time as he was dismissed by left-arm Gujarat Titans fast bowler Yash Dayal 43, and same was the fate of the explosive Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag, who were both dismissed for 4 runs each.
At the half-time break, it looks like Rajasthan Royals had enough on the board given that their bowling department has been able to contain the opposition more often than not in the competition. However, the story had to take another route with Gujarat Titans producing yet another incredible performance with the bat despite facing some challenges along the way.
Gujarat Titans were rocked early by left-arm Rajasthan Royals fast bowler Trent Boult who removed their inform wicket-keeper batsman Wriddhiman Saha for a second ball duck, but they covered well thanks to a 71 run stand for the second wicket between Matthew Wade and Shubman Gill who both scored 35 runs each.
Rajasthan did well to break their partnership and dismiss both these batsmen in quick succession but they ran into the parent Hardik Pandya and David Miller, who took the contest away from them.
The Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya scored 40 not out from only 27 balls with the help of 5 boundaries whereas David Miller was unstoppable, hitting 3 sixes in the final over in his overall tally of 5 sixes and 3 boundaries to make 68 not out for only 38 balls.
The pair of Hardik Pandya and David Miller put on a 106-run unbeaten stand for the fourth wicket which came from only 61 balls, highlighting the overall might and firepower of one of the two new IPL sides who are firm favourites to win the title this year.